Final Fantasy VII: The Hero in the SOLDIER
by NothingSoSpecial
Summary: "They were once the secret rulers of the world, but had long since abandoned it as the enemy slowly corrupted and tore them apart. However, everything will change as a new hero rises, one that will finally force the kings to open their eyes to the truly terrifying darkness around them- and then help them stop it for good." A REWRITE of SWTWC. Dedicated to ZexyDemyx66. Please R/R!


**Final Fantasy VII: The Hero in the SOLDIER.**

**Summary: **"1st Class SOLDIER. They were top of the top, the best of the best, and the most powerful men on the Planet. They were the heroes that everyone looked up to and dared to dream that they, too, could one day become. There was Sephiroth; the enigmatic Silver General, the one everyone knew by name and mane. There was Genesis; the Crimson General, the silent, lonely red-head known for his strange obsession with LOVELESS and even stranger, convoluted past. And then there was Angeal; the Blue General, the honorable one and the father-figure for those lucky enough to make into SOLDIER in the first place. But there was just something else about them that no one ever wanted to admit: that their so-called _"Holy Trinity"_ had long since abandoned them all- and in their place, a wicked presence has reappeared, threatening to take back the control it once had years ago (and destroy the man responsible for their fall in the first place), spreading its corrupting, deadly influence throughout ShinRa- reaching even its highest, most sacred ranks. But, all this may finally change when a new SOLDIER arrives, a mere kid, who worms his way into their hearts and eventually draws the Kings back together again- and, most importantly, finally forces them to open their eyes to the truly terrifying world around them."

**Warning:** "This will be a **Yaoi (male x male)**, first off **(with the pairings being Angeal x Zack and Sephiroth x Genesis)**. As the title might imply, this story is a re-write of the popular, originally discontinued story **"Something Wicked This Way Comes," **but thanks to a sudden, renewed interest- and because I have become a better author than when I first started the original- I have created this (revamped) version of the story to replace SWTWC, and hopefully even finish it this time. The story will be **Rated M for sexual content, non-con, implied non-con, incest, and other adult situations that may be unsuited for our younger and/or less mature readers.** You have hereby been warned, so I don't want to see any complaints/hate-mail in my inbox because you didn't bother to read this."

**Disclaimer:** **"I do not own Final Fantasy VII, so don't ruin my day by thinking I do. **However, the following characters are actually mine, whether or not they actually appear in the story or not: **Cadet Captain Benjamin (Ben) Adler, Cadet Captain Daniel Marks, and Head Physician/ ex-SOLDIER Julian Jake."**

**Author's Note: "This story is dedicated to ****ZexyDemyx66**** and all the other readers of SWTWC."**

**N._.s._.S**

**Chapter One: Enter the Hero.**

**A****nyone who knew him- hell; anyone who even_ just talked to- _****Zack Fair could tell you his dream.**

_Hailing from the backwater village of Gongaga, the boy was your regular starry-eyed recruit who would do just about anything and everything to prove that he had what it took to get into SOLDIER. The fifteen-year-old could tell you the names of the legendary 1__st__ Class Generals in a heartbeat (he had their posters up on his walls back at home- but you'd have a hell of a time ever getting him to admit it), eavesdropped on passing Cadets and SOLDIERs alike to get the latest on them, and even practiced sword-fighting since he was just ten years old._

_ Because Zack Fair had sworn that he was going to be one of them someday._

_ A 1__st__ Class SOLDIER._

_ And a hero._

_ And nothing was ever going to stop him from reaching his dream._

**N._.s._.S**

**T****hey'd been avoiding him all day, and no wonder.**

It wasn't every day a 1st Class accompanied a group of mere 3rds, after all.

Fifteen-year-old Zack Fair could barely take his eyes off the man that had stood motionlessly at the edge of camp all evening, arms folded over his chest, back to them, seemingly ignoring the excited jabbering of his subordinates behind him- who were setting up tents and food trays- completely.

He was a head taller than Zack, and had shoulder-length black hair. Oddly enough, he wore the normal 1st Class uniform, automatically making him the least flashily dressed out of the three Generals. The only thing that really gave him away as what he was, was the gargantuan sword- which people called the _"Buster Sword,"_ if Zack remembered his trivia correctly- belted tightly to his back.

All evening, he'd heard the stories of the 1st Class being whispered into ears and discussed on the far side of camp- some ranging from batshit crazy to just plain amazing- like the tales of the great Silver General Sephiroth's god-like power and the great, flaming enigma that was the Crimson General Genesis Rhapsodos. He'd heard all sorts of things about _those_ two; but the only thing he'd heard whispered about the Blue General, Angeal Hewley, was that he was the nicest of the three, and while he wasn't the most recognizable, he was the most "human" out of the three 1st Class Generals.

Whatever _that_ meant.

"Hey, Zack!"

Zack tore his gaze from the SOLDIER standing alone by the edge of camp at last to see one of his friends, eighteen-year-old Jack Bell, striding up to him. After stealing a look over Zack's shoulder to stare at the 1st for a second, he threw an arm around him and led him away toward the other 3rds and the food.

_"Hey,"_ he said in an undertone, _"you didn't say anything to him, did you?"_

_"What?"_ Zack responded, blankly, throwing a quick look over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being listened in on, _"No. Have _you_?"_

"What, are you _crazy_, man?" Bell yelped, loudly, eyes widening at the very thought, "_Hell_ no, I haven't!"

"Why not?" Zack demanded.

By this time, they'd plopped down near the fire with everyone else. The talking went hushed and several of the older boys leaned into their plates and mumbled greetings before whispering amongst themselves- they were quickly extinguished and forgotten about as the younger ones started talking loudly and excitedly all at once.

_"Zack, you should talk to him!"_

_ "Yeah, Fair, ask him something!"_

_ "Ask him about Sephiroth!"_

_ "Holy crap, wouldn't that would be awesome?"_

Zack just laughed- but not before shooting another look over his shoulder, making sure that the 1st really wasn't listening to them. To his utmost relief, Hewley hadn't moved even a split-inch from his same position at the edge of the camp. He was still staring up through the trees, at the darkening sky above, arms crossed calmly over his chest.

"Come on, guys," he said, though he, too, yearned to ask the legendary 1st as many questions as the others did (maybe even more), "We don't want to bug him. _None_ of us would ever get to 1st then."

"Zack, please?" One of the youngest 3rds, just thirteen, wheedled, pleadingly, hands clasped in front of him under his chin, "Just one question? Maybe like _'What's Sephiroth like when he's not being awesome?'_ or maybe _'Is it true he can level an entire battlefield in ten seconds flat?'_"

Again, the fifteen-year-old just shook his head.

"You should," Bell finally said, "Maybe he'd actually answer."

"And if not?" The oldest, a nineteen-year-old named Connor, snipped, rather more angrily than what the situation really called for, "What if he's like Genesis and throws _Ifrit_ at you?"

"That's a myth," the younger one protested with a shout, "A _myth_!"

"Yeah, but what if it's _not_?" Connor threw back, "He could bake you to a crisp and _eat_ you, too."

Zack just laughed while Bell countered, "Be real, man, one question couldn't be that bad."

Connor didn't look convinced, but the younger one looked even more excited.

_"Zack, you gotta ask!"_ The kid pleaded, _"Please? Do it for me!"_

Zack looked over at Bell, who shrugged in an _if you must_ sort of way.

"What should I ask?" Zack finally gave in, though he, too, was just as excited, probably even more so, than the little kid at actually talking to the 1st, "One question."

The kid was so excited the fell of his bench, splattering his food all over him. While the other boys laughed at him, he got back up and looked straight at Zack, determinedly.

"Ask him what it's like to be a 1st."

Zack just shrugged and stood up.

"We got a _badass_ in the house!" Bell crowed as the other boys cheered, even Connor. "Go for it, Fair!"

Zack turned, gave the small group two thumbs-up, turned around, and headed toward the 1st Class, who still, just like the trees he stood under, hadn't moved an inch.

**N._.s._.S**

**"H****ey!"**

Okay, so _that_ definitely wasn't the most eloquent greeting on the Planet.

But at least it got his attention.

The 1st Class SOLDIER, immediately turned his head as Zack walked straight up next to him, one dark brow raised in half-curiosity and half suspicion. His dark eyes, however, showed some faint amusement at the boy's greeting; as if he'd expected him to speak up all along.

"Yes?"

"Uh-" Trying to look cool even though he was caught off guard at the General's immediate response, Zack brushed back his short black hair, "Well, one of the younger SOLDIERs wanted me to ask you a question… sir," he added with his best grin as a last-ditch effort to be polite.

"Go on," Hewley answered with a short nod.

"They wanted me to ask you what it's like to be a 1st."

Out of all the things Hewley expected him to say, it sure as hell wasn't that. The man looked genuinely taken aback at the innocent question, and he actually turned to face him fully instead of looking over his shoulder at him, folding his arms across his chest in a serious, though somehow almost friendly, way.

But he didn't reply.

After a moment through, just as Zack was about to give up, he did.

"What is it like to be a 3rd?"

"What?"

Hewley gave a smirk- not a _'ha ha he doesn't get it'_ laughing at him kind of smirk, but the sort a truly stoic person would give when he was trying not to laugh at something he found particularly funny.

"You asked me what it was like to be a 1st," the General explained, patiently, "And so I asked you what it was like to be a 3rd. You tell me what it's like to be in your position, and I'll tell you what it's like in mine."

"You could've just said that."

"I just did."

Zack shot him an annoyed look, and the General automatically replied with another smirk.

"Well…"

_Wow, how do I say this?_

"I haven't been in SOLDIER that long, only about three months. Went into basic six months ago, got out at the end of March," he finally decided to say, "It took a while to get used to."

Hewley nodded and gave another nod, leaning against the tree again.

"The guys I work with are pretty good. We're split up into units of ten to twenty, this unit here," Zack said with some pride, "Is lead by Captain Adler; who's obviously not here now. Every morning after breakfast, we go out on runs and have matches, tournament-style and then go to different classes depending on what we signed up for. Like, the gunners go to range and we swordies-"

_ "Swordies?"_

"That's what guys with swords are called," Zack clarified, quickly, "Swordies."

"Swordies," the General repeated, slowly, "_That's_ a new one."

"What were they called back in _your_ day?"

"We were just swordsmen."

"Oh… well, that's about it," Zack said, as he too, leaned against a tree, one across from the 1st, "Other than the guys messing around and sneaking out into Midgar for a drink, it's basically all training and fieldwork. I think this is the first time we've had a real mission for ShinRa."

Hewley nodded again and then looked away.

"So… how's it like being a 1st?"

"A lot less training, a whole lot more missions. And more responsibility," the 1st answered, after a moment, "It's not all it's cracked up to be in the higher ranks, honestly."

"You get to work next to _Sephiroth_, though, isn't that awesome?"

"Sephiroth?" Angeal looked over at him; dark brows raised again, "What about him?"

"It's _the_ Sephiroth," Zack answered without thinking, "You know, the most powerful man on the Planet?"

At that, Angeal actually chuckled a bit. "Is that what you think?"

"Well yeah! Don't you?"

"I personally like to think Sephiroth and myself as equals- and friends. We're not as rivals," Angeal answered, smartly, "But it looks like you 3rds still look up to him as an inspiration, which is good."

Slightly put out, Zack indignantly brushed a hand through his dark hair. "Well, what's he _really_ like, then?"

The Blue General's eyes suddenly lit up in a bizarrely ominous way as he stared back at Zack for a long moment (almost like he was about to saying something he knew he shouldn't) before suddenly thinking better of it and turning his head again; instead saying something so quietly that Zack nearly missed it.

_"Seph is Human. Just like the rest of us."_

**N._.s._.S**

**"W****hat did he say?" **Bell demanded, eagerly, as Zack walked back to the group, plunked down, and threw back a glass of water to ease the sudden, anxious burning in his throat.

"He told me that it was just like being a 3rd, only harder," Zack answered through several gulps of water, much to the disappointment of his fellows, most of whom just rolled their eyes and groaned unappreciatively. Even Conner, the one who'd jeered at his friends for daring to ask, looked bitterly upset.

"Man, that sucks," Bell groaned as the 3rds around them unhappily gathered up the dishes and retreated back to their half-made tents, as if Zack's failure was contagious, "Did he say anything about Sephiroth at least?"

"Not really," the teen answered, dully, "He said he was just like the rest of us."

Bell swore and rolled his eyes. "What a jerk."

"He's not a jerk," Zack answered, "He's just…"

"A_ jerk_," Bell repeated, darkly, standing up and leaving, disappearing into one of the tents.

Zack stayed out longer, occasionally curiously looking back at the General, who stayed stone-still at the edge of the camp, leaning against the tree and staring up into the silent, starry sky, which Zack felt looked like a billion tiny, lit-up eyes winking almost knowingly down on the Planet below, before finally rising and going to bed, long after the fire had crumbled away into nothing but smoldering ashes.

But Angeal Hewley never even moved an inch.

**N._s._.S**


End file.
